Everything and more about gardening in Shady's SE Iowa (USA) location.

"Mattie"

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

ABC Wednesday - I is for Invicible or Irritating?

"I" would like to encourage you to click on the logo above to see the posts byother bloggers that are participating in this meme.

Invincible - incapable of being conquered, defeated, or subdued.

Invincibledescribes the Iris.Irritating might also describe the Iris.

When we moved here 8 years ago, the Sunny Corner Bed was completely filled (and overgrown) with Iris tubers. Thus, there were very few blooms. During our second Spring, I dug and dug and dug tubers out of the bed... and gave up. I filled two good-sized boxes and three paper grocery bags full - and gave them away.

I covered the rest of the bed with about 6" of soil, planted other perennials, and covered the bed with 6" of mulch.

The next Spring? Iris were growing through - all over! I dug and pulled, etc. every Spring for the next few years. Finally (8 years later) I think I have a handle on the situation. I did leave two or three spots of iris (dividing and spacing them) that are very pretty - and manageable.

Intermediate Dwarf Bearded Iris(name unknown - lost tag)I purchased this iris. It's very pretty, and I need to divide it this Spring.

Bearded iris(inherited with the property)

Reticulata irises, Mathew's subgenus Hermodactyloides from western Asia, are another section of bulbous irises. Leaves of this section are grey green and square or almost cylindrical in cross section. Bulbs have netted tunics and the flowers long tubes. They are small plants that are mostly very hardy, flower in early spring and are dormant in summer. They are suitable for rock gardens, bulb frames or alpine houses and should be planted in well-drained soil that can dry out in summer. (I'm guessing all these iris listed below are about 6" tall.)

*Iris danfordiae is from mountain locations in Turkey where it flowers near the snowline. It has bright yellow dotted green flowers with a deep yellow or orange crest. Bulbs need to be planted deeply or they will split into smaller non-blooming bulbs

*Iris'Sheila Ann Germaney' - is a another desirable hybrid between Iris histrioides and Iris winogradowii. It is similar to 'Katherine Hodgkin', but more even pale blue toned and showing less influence of the yellow palette.

Below: This is a Species Iris of some type - it was in flower beds when we moved here. I don't know what type it is... but I do know that it has a very long, narrow tuber. The tuber continues to grow long and narrow and spread throughout the bed... thus the iris move all over the place. It takes a little time (a couple of years), but you might find them crowding into other plants' territory. (They are beautiful, though, aren't they?)

Randy, I'm not sure about the Japanese Roof Iris. I've looked at so many types of Iris - but this flower seems to be Just different enough... nothing ruffly about it...But thanks! (It's truly as close as I could come!) :-)

Hi Hazel, Thanks for your visit. You truly would love these little irises!

The Iris reticulata are always the first to bloom, and now we wait for the Siberian and wild Pacific iris, the latter being a thorn in my side for they become deeply rooted everywhere. The bearded are perhaps my favorite, but they require digging every 2-3 years and I'm not up to increased maintenance these days. Don't we have enough on the schedule> ;)

Now this is a problem most of us would be thrilled to have! I have been trying to add a few more iris each year, but last year my aunt gave me more than I had room for. She dug all hers up, too, and had so many I gave many away to friends. Seeing all your lovelies makes me excited to see all mine in bloom this year.

Hi Rose! Isn't it funny how things work? Your Aunt was happy to thin hers out. In about 5 years, you'll be doing the same! :-) This Sunny Corner Bed had been neglected for about 8 years by the time we'd moved in!

I love seeing all your different types of iris. We once rented a house that had pretty much all iris tubers taking over. I never tried growing them here until two years ago when my sister dug all of hers up. Now I want to add a few more varieties. I guess the trick is to stay on top of dividing them, something I didn't really know was that important to irises.

Meryl, how sweet of you to visit and leave a comment this first time. :-) Thank you for the compliments. We are truly ready for Spring!

troutbirder, I understand about the "pain," however I'm thinking that maybe if I adjust my attitude a bit - I could share those extra tubers as they get crowded! :-)

Rosemary, Thank you for smiling at me. lol

Hi Catherine, I think if you start with a couple or three varieties and learn to take care of them, you could add a couple more until you find you have enough. Then, the key is to find a friend/fellow gardener that would appreciate some free nursery stock! :-)